Fish Myths and Other Rants

Myths:

1.  Goldfish belong in bowls:
     There is not one species of goldfish that would actully fit in a bowl, or any tank under 30 gallons.  The general rule for goldfish (depending on species) is 30 gallons for the first fish, then an additional 10 gallons for each fish after. 

2.  Goldfish are a great beginner fish:
     Wrong again.  Goldfish are one of the dirtiest fish out there, and require ALOT of tank maintanance.  Couple this with the fact that people think they can have a Goldfish in a 1 gallon bowl, and you will certainly end up with a dead Goldfish. 

3.   Fish will only grow to the size of their tank:
      Oh so wrong.  Fish that belong in large tanks, but are kept in small ones have their growth stunted.  STUNTED... This is NOT an adaptation, this is a negative health issue. 
      (I once had a conversation with someone insisting that he could put Koi in a 20 gallon tank...  For those of you who don't know Koi are pond fish that reach 1-2 feet in length.  How... retarded...)

4.    1 inch of fish per gallon:
       Are you really going to put your 10 inch Oscar in a 10 gallon tank???  I don't think so.  This rule MIGHT help you while stocking fish that remain small,  but it still isn't a very good rule. 

5.    Pet stores know what they are talking about:
       9 times out of 10 this is false.  If you are going to keep fish it is YOUR responsibility to educate yourself on how to do so correctly.  The people at the store are there to sell you fish, and that is it.  I had a guy try to talk me into buying fish, because he had a chemical that would make the water safe in one day.  This is absolutey false.  You have to cycle your tank, which takes 3-5 weeks.  You must do this regardless of what chemicals you put in. 

6.    Water changes are not necessary, just top it off:
       WAY wrong.  Water changes are probably the most important thing you can do to keep fish alive, and healthy.  Your water may look clean, but think about this.  Your fish pee in the water everyday, all the chemicals you put into the tank stay there until you take them out, and refresh them.  Not doing water changes causes all of this to build up, and it will eventually cause health issues/death. 

Fish and Requirements/Adult Sizes

Iridescent Shark-  As you can see, this fish gets HUGE.  I'm guessing it is in a 55g, which is still too small. 

Bala Shark:    This picture doesn't really give a good size reference, but these guys get about a foot long.  

 Arowana:  Another huge fish which is also predatory. 

 Common Pleco:  I would say this is one of the most purchased fish, and it is always purchased when it is about 3 inches long... 

Angelfish- I'm not posting a pic of these, because everybody probably knows what these look like.  You could probably keep one in a 30 gallon high tank, but that isn't ideal.  You could keep about 3 in a 55g, and you have to have 1 male, and 2 females.  They will pair off, and you will have to get rid of the female that isn't paired or she will be killed.  In larger tanks 5 plus can be kept, but they MUST be large enough to accomadate breeding. 

Gourami-  All but the dwarf species get to about 6 inches, but even the dwarf species can't be kept together.  I was advised not to have 2 in my 55gallon because they would kill each other. 

    Well, I think I'm done for now.  I do have some updates on my own tank, but I'll save that for later. 

Just Awful

    So in the time that my computer was gone I lost a total of 5 fish, and 1 snail.  ARG!!! Here is the mortality list:

Betta (Roo)- Lost to widex contamination.
German Blue Ram- Was either sick, or was bullied to death by the Gourami.
Neon Tetra- Bad stock.
2 Otocinclus- Possible windex contamination, internal parasites, or bad stock.
1 Assassin Snail- Not a confirmed death, but probably. 

    I would also like to note that all the fish that died came from PetLand in Russell.  I will not be returning there for any livestock.  I have one To left that came from there, and I'm praying that something doesn't happen to him.  All of my original fish are doing great. 

    I do have more to update on, but I'm not particularly in the mood to go into all the details.  I'll save that for a day when I'm up for it.  I'll leave you with some pics!

This was one of the Otos munching on some zucchini.

My little neons.

A pretty good close up of an Oto.

And another.

Rough Week

    A seriously rough week when it comes to fish people.  Here's what happened...

    Sunday my son and I went to PetLand in Russell to pick up my first dwarf ciclid, a baby German Blue Ram.  While at the store I waited, and waited, and waited.  I watched some woman purchase TWO male bettas.  I quickly informed them that if they were put into the same tank they would kill each other.  I have no idea if that's what they did, but they didn't really look like the type to care... 

    When I finally received service it was from the most inexperienced guy there who was obviously just trying to make a commission.  He bagged my beautiful little guy, and took us to the checkout.  Come to find out a bill that I wasn't expecting to go through till the next day had, and I didn't have enough money to buy him...

    My son and I came back on Monday (the next day) and actually purchased him, plus one Otocinclus.  While at the store I saw that one of the Rams from the day before was now dead, and had been partially eaten.  NOT a good sign obviously. 

    When I got them home I drip acclimated them for an hour, and put them into the display.  Upon the Ram entering the tank it was quite obvious that something was wrong.  He kind of spiraled down to the bottom, and immediately got stuck to the filter intake.  He freed himself within a few seconds, but long story short I ended up putting him down. 

    I went BACK to PetLand with the fish.  While there I spoke with someone else who notified me that there had been trouble with that tank, and that the inhabitants were actually being medicated at that time... Wish someone had told me that in the first place.  So I did not get another one.  I will be waiting on the new shipment. 

    I ended up coming home with two more Otocincluses, and one neon tetra ( to bring me to 25).  Today the neon died.... 

    Let's put it this way.  PetLand gets ONE more chance when I buy another Ram.  If it ends in the same way, then I'll no longer be shopping there. 

    On a good note the Oto's are doing very well.  They are a type of algae eater, and they have been doing a really great job!  Below are some pics. 

This is just a better picture of the tank, now that the water has cleared.

There are a total of three Oto's.  This is number 1.  Lol.

 Cleaning up my leaves for me. 

They sure are good at hanging on!

    Ahhh, but it doesn't end there.  I haven't seen Agent 47, my Assassin Snail for a few days.  Apparently this is a fairly normal occurance, but it worries me.  For some reason my betta tank has developed some sort of clear slime on everything, and Roo (the betta) is acting funky.  I've done a 50% water change for him two days in a row.  I don't know what is going on with him.  Annnd for some reason my 10g isn't cycling right.  I am currently conducting an experiment to rule out some things.  Arg...  Good things I really enjoy this or I might get a little discouraged.  

Changes, Changes.

    So it's finally time for an update. 

    Since we last met I have completely changed the look of the tank.  I haven't added any new fish because I knew I was going to do this, and didn't want to stress them out.  All of the fish that are on my list to be added are fairly sensitive.

    In addition to that I have decided to change the brand of water conditioner I am using.  I was using the Tetra brand, but will  be switching to Prime.  It has the rep of being top notch.  I went to Bert's to pick it up today, but alas they don't carry it.  Like the rest of the stores around here....  I imagine I'll have to order it.  So instead I got API Stress Coat which is the next best thing. 

   Okay, on to the pics!!!

    Above is my general set up for the switch.  You can see my gravel vac hanging on the right, and going out the window.  That's the best I can do until I get my Python.  Man I can't wait to get it!  Lugging 55 gallons of water to that tank in one whack alone was awful.  

    This is a good close up of the holding tank I set up for the fish.  This is a cheap cooler into which I drained some of the tank water into.  I outfitted it with one of my extra filters that was running on my QT, the QT heater, a thermometer, and my battery powered bubbler.  The only thing that wasn't necessary was the filter.  I just put it on there because it made me feel better.  

    Oh what a scary sight.  The empty tank...

    All 34 fish, 1 Assassin Snail, and 3 Nerite Snails were actually in the cooler at this point.  The plants are also there to keep moist, and to also provide cover for the fish.  I really did not want the fish to get too stressed out. 

    Oh lovely....  Haha, this is after I replaced the substrate with sand (yay!).  As you can see it was pretty crazy in there

    And here we have the tank this morning.  The water had cleared enough for me to replant the plants, and has cleared even more since.  I just didn't take a picture of it.  All the fish made it through the big change.  Only about 4 were stressed enough to lose color, but they have regained it as far as I can tell. 

    The only mistake I made during this process was not watching what I was doing with the filters on the display.  I had assumed that water would remain in the HOBs unless I drained it out.  WRONG... It syphoned out as I took the water out of the tank.  I didn't realize this until I was getting ready to fill the tank back up.  I hastily took the filter media out and submerged it in the cooler with the fish.  I am hoping and praying that I caught this mistake quick enough, and that the bacteria that I spent 4 weeks growing didn't die.  If the bacteria died then I'm stuck doing a fish-in-cycle.  You know what that means???  Probably 2 50% water changes a day until the cycle completes.  Oh PLEASE let the bactiera be ALIVE!!!  I won't know for sure till a few days have passed. 

    On another note my husband and landlord are going to build me a new stand for the tank.  As you may have noticed the current stand isn't quite big enough.  I can't wait to get it!!!

    That's it for now.  I'll post some better pictures when the water clears up, and I'm sure the tank is situated the way I want it.  Thanks for reading!



A Little Bit New

Welcome back everyone! 

I have a few updates for you.  Over the past week I've added 7 Neon Tetras, 1 Assassin Snail, and I am quarentining 10 Kuhli Loaches!

When I went to get the Neons I went in to get 6.  The store actually owed me one for free so I ended up leaving with 7.  Unfortunately on the first day I lost one Neon to stress, and the next day I lost another.  I actually had to euthanize the first one.  That wasn't a fun experience. 

After some research I concluded that the quickest way would be to boil some water, and plop the poor guy into it.  He was gone immediately. 

I brought my snail home on the same trip, and he is doing well. 

Yesterday I went to pick up my beautiful Kuhli Loaches!!!  The guy that waited on us gave us extra fish, "Just in case some die".  That didn't really sound too promising, but we were happy to take them seeing as they do better in bigger groups. 

I'm pretty sure we made it home with 13.  (Those guys are EXTRA hard to count)  I had 3 die from stress, 2 of which I'm positive were dead before they even left the bag.  Today the remaining 10, (my original desired number) are doing well in the quarantine tank.  

Here you see my loaches in the acclimation bucket.  The one in the very middle of the bucket was one of the 3 that died.  He hung on until about 2 hours into the QT.   

A close up of my guys.

This is the QT all set up and waiting for the Loaches.  Room the Betta is hanging in his small tank for now.

This is my Assassin Snail.  He is doing his job well I might add.

Here is my little buddy Akio.  He actually eats from my hand now.

And a bad picture of some of the neons.  They are now a school of 24.

Thanks for reading!

Tank Edit

Hi guys!  I'm going to start out with a few pictures.  Here ya go!

There we go.  If you have been following my blog you will notice a few differences.  The bottom of the tank is now covered in black river rocks, and there are quite a few more plants. 

I'm really loving this look!  I need one more bag of rocks for sure, and the substrate will be done.  I may or may not add more plants.  It really depends on how much the current plants grow, and how fast. 

As of now there is a total of 20 fish in the tank.  I bought 20 neons, but I only made it home with 19.  That's alright though.  They are REALLY hard to count so I'm sure the girl at the store didn't do that on purpose.

Hopefully this week I'll have 6 more neurons and an Assassin Snail.  If I'm REALLY lucky I'll be able to bring home some Kuhli Loaches to put into QT.

Greetings!  I know I just wrote an update yesterday, but today also calls for an update. 

My little family and I made a trip to our main pet store today (MochaPet, Hillard, Ohio).  Here is a list of the loot we brought home!

1 Turkey Baster (For minor maintenance in the QT)
1 Pack of Biomax (Brings me to two)
          For those of you that don't know Biomax is a substance that goes into your filter, and provides extra
          space for good bacteria to grow on. 
1 Foam cooler (for fish transport)
1 Pack of frozen blood worms (for the fish to eat)
1 Battery powered air stone
         We got this airstone because it is portable, and will make it much easier to use during acclimation than
         having to take the one from the QT all the time.  If you noticed in my earlier post when I acclimated
         my Dwarf Gourami (Akio- Japanese for 'bright boy') I did not use an air stone.  I was kindly reminded
         on the forum that I am linked to that this is baaad.  The fish could have died from lack of O2. 
Annnnnd the big purchase of the day was...............................................................
......................................
.........................................
....................................
20 NEON TETRAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yes I love these little boogers.  After seeing how small these guys actually are I now know that 20 is just a too insignificant number for my 55g tank.  One step at a time though. 

The tetras and Akio are getting along just fine as of now.  I gave them one full cube of blood worms earlier and they feasted.  It was funny watching the little tetras swimming around with half a worm sticking out of their mouths. 

As far as my research goes on these guys they were said to be quite shy.  So far the only thing that bothers them are rather quick movements when you approach the tank.  Other than that they are swimming right out in the open.  Of course this may very well be due to the fact that I have 20 of them.  The more you have the safer they feel. 

Another thing, as I was observing the fish earlier I noticed a small snail crawling up the side of the glass....  SOOOO it looks like I AM going to have to buy an Assassin Snail after all (it will kill the others).  I'd rather have one snail than millions.  The only thing I can figure is that they were brought in on the plants I bought, and were just too small to be seen until now.  Those of you who want no snails at all I strongly advise washing your plants before you put them into your tank. 

While I was at the pet store I received a compliment from the fish manager (who really does seem to know her stuff).  I had been talking to her for about a half hour, and I apologized for taking up her time.  She said to this, "Oh that's okay.  It's nice to talk to someone who actually knows something about fish."  Made me feel special!

All Is Well

Hi everyone!  Things are going 'swimmingly' with the new tank and its inhabitant. 

I actually got to take out one of the bricks holding down a piece of wood.  It looks much better without it of course.  I absolutely cannot wait to get the other brick out of there. 

Here is an updated pic. 

There we go.  Coming along quite nicely if you ask me.  I thought I was done planting, but I'm pretty sure the future fish will appreciate some more cover.  I'll probably cover most of the back wall with the long stringy grass that is on the left. 

I've also recently found out that one of the fish species that I will be stocking requires a smooth substrate.  So I am considering buying some of the black sand (I think it's sand) and just putting it over top of what is already in the tank.  The substrate that is in there really isn't that thick anyway so it will be an improvement overall. 

Okay that's it for now.  I'll leave you with a short video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh_XV11DTbU&feature=youtu.be

The First Fish!

Hi everyone! Today is the day!  After waiting for four weeks I have finally added my first fish. 

Here are a few pics.

This was him just getting home.  I know I didn't get his face, but I was trying to hurry so he wouldn't be as stressed out. 

Here he is in the acclimation bucket.  I used the drip method.  It came highly recommended. 

Then here we have a video of me putting him into the tank. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bYrNMJZYHw&feature=plcp

And one more pic of him swimming around. 

What we have here is a male Dwarf Gourami.  His age is estimated at around 6 months or so.  That is if I can rely on the info I got from the pet store.  He is currently swimming around getting used to his new home.  Love it!

The New QT

I finally have my quarantine tank set up!  We went to PetLand today and picked up the 10g, and then over to Bert's to pick up some PraziPro. 

For those of you who don't know, PraziPro is a deworming medicine.  I'll be using this on all of my new fish while they are in a 2 week quarantine. 

The only fish that will not have to stay in the QT is the first batch. 

Thanks to a friend of mine, Miss Jordan Crow, I have a filter for the QT tank on my cycling display tank.  In a few weeks the filter media inside will also be cycled, and ready to go onto the QT. 

For now the tank is up and running with my little Betta, Roo. 

The bubbles on the side are kind of messing with the view, but they will go away in a few hours. 

For anyone who is interested, a QT is VERY important when you are adding fish.  Fish you get from the pet store are rarely ever completely healthy.  For instance if you get a fish that has Ich, and put it into your community tank without treatment every single fish you have will die. 

Here is how the quarantine works. 

Day 1

Remove Betta, and add new fish to be quarantined. 

At this time I will dose the tank with PraziPro at full strength. 

Day 4

50% water change, and dose PraziPro at 1/4 strength. 

Day 7

50% W/C

Day 10

50% W/C

Day 13

50% W/C, and add carbon to the filter to suck up all the meds. 

Day 14

If the fish check out, add them to the display tank. 

Not very complicated, but very necessary all the same.  I'm so close to having my display tank cycled that I'm getting antsy.  Lol.  Not that I haven't been the whole time. 

Thanks for reading everyone!

  Well there is some good news.  The nitrites are exactly where they need to be, and the nitrates aren't bad either.  Now if I could just get the ammonia to cooperate we'd be good.  It's starting to really get on my nerves, but there is still time. 

  According to my reading most tanks take three weeks to cycle completely.  This is day 14 so I've still got 7 more to go before I can really start getting angry.  Haha. 

  We bought the background for the display tank, and installed it.  It looks really nice.  We decided to go with a plain black to match the substrate.  The black on black really makes the colors of the plants pop, and I'm sure it will do wonders for the fish colors when they finally make it in. 

  We also got a gravel vac for when we do our water changes.  That'll make things much easier.  For some reason I have some algae growing on the wood.  Not much, and I'm hoping it stays that way.  At least until I get some bottom feeders in there. 

  While we were at the pet stores we looked at possible candidates for a quarantine tank.  I guess we're just going to go with a 10g and buy all the stuff that goes with it separate.  PetLand wouldn't give me any used media for some reason which gets on my nerves.  So I guess I'm just going to have to wait until my display tank cycles completely to finish up with the quarantine tank. 

  Anyway, the fact that the nitrites have peaked is encouraging.  I'll be jumping for joy as soon as the ammonia starts to work for me. 

Later readers!

I know, I know.  It's been four days since I've had an update, but as you're about to see there really hasn't been much need for one.  I've been keeping a chart of my tank's progress through the cycle.  Here it is:

And that's all I've got.  The ammonia levels went down, down, down, then WAY back up.  Now it is on it's way back down again.  The nitrates I'm happy to say are gradually going up.  As they go up I'm sure the ammonia will have no choice to go down.  I have no idea why it is so crazy, and no one on the forums really has a good answer to the 'why' question.  I'm just going with the flow for now.  If the growth of the Nitrites stops, or goes down, and the ammonia goes up again I'm going to do a water change. 

I tell ya I really didn't know just how much patience it takes to have an aquarium, and do it the right way. 

On Day 12. 

Impatience

Oh my gosh you guys.  I'm starting to get annoyed at the amount of time that I have to wait to put fish in my tank. 

It's not helping that we keep going to whatever fish section every store we go to has.  Lol.  We bought two more plants today, and I'm fairly certain we're done with it.  Now we're just waiting for the wood to saturate, and for the levels to run through.  I've been curbing my impatience by watching documentaries on the ocean.  They are really nice to watch right before bed.  It's also nice to sit in the chair in front of the tank and just watch the plants sway. 

The addition of fish will make it perfect!

A Little Less Empty

So yesterday we finally got our tank decor set up.  Sam pressure washed the driftwood and the rocks.  Then later in the day we made a visit to Petland where we picked up a plant called a Red Wendth and most importantly a test kit. 

As far as liking Petland the fish there all seemed to be in good condition, but the guy who was helping us, (aka sort of annoying us) knew less about fish than I did.  He tried to get me to buy something that would allow me to put fish in the tank and therefore give him a bigger sale.  I then explained to him for the second time that I was waiting for my tank to cycle, which can't be sped up.  He kind of looked at me in a confused way, and I said, "You know, the Nitrogen cycle?"  He then agreed.  Haha, poor guy.  We also got a new thermometer from there. 

We then headed to Walmart where I got some more Aquasafe and gravel.  Walmart's fish conditions were deplorable.  They actually downsized the tanks, and had so many fish crammed in them.  It was awful.  All the tanks had dead fish in them.  DO NOT buy fish from Walmart!  Well, I guess I'm tempted to save some from that torture, but I'm afraid I'll get some disease in my tank if I do. 

ANYWAY, here is the result...

I know the pic isn't that great, but I find it difficult to get my camera to take a good one of it.  The bricks of course are not part of the decorations, but they are there to hold the wood down until it is completely saturated.  They will probably have to be in there for a few weeks.  All in all I'm satisfied with it.  I'm going to get a few more modest plants so they don't end up taking all the swimming room.  I'm so excited to get some fish in there.  I know that patience is what is going to make a successful tank though, so I'll wait. 

A Hunting We Will Go!

Today we visited the local backwater to hunt for driftwood.  We ended up finding four good pieces that we really liked, but ended up discarding one.  It was too far gone really, and had lots of rot on it.  We've scrubbed them in the creek, soaked them in hot water, scrubbed them again, and are letting them soak overnight.  Tomorrow they will be pressure washed, wiped down with a little bleach, and then rinsed well.  I hope to arrange them in the tank sometime tomorrow in which case I'll be posting more pictures. 

Timeline Update

Ya know, I think I might make a cute little picture timeline.  Anyway, here's the update. 

5/17 set up tank
5/18 ammonia peak, and added betta
5/19 official start of my cycle, cloudy water, removed betta
5/20 Ammonia level drops from 6.0 to 4.0

Really chomping at the bit to get that big test kit tomorrow......

My Oh My

My tank has reached the beginning of it's cycle.  I woke up this morning to a VERY cloudy tank.  My ammonia levels are still high, which is good considering I don't have a kit to test my nitrites and nitrates.  I will have to get one soon.  I decided to return the Betta to his tank just incase the levels and cloudyness would cause him any kind of discomfort.  I'm opting for a fishless cycle, which in theory will take less time. 

So here's my timeline:

5/17 set up tank
5/18 ammonia peak, and added betta
5/19 official start of my cycle, cloudy water, removed betta

Also, my son Johnathon has named the Betta Roo.  Should have asked him in the first place...

Ideas...

Okay, I have sketched two ideas for my aquascape.  I do realize these are poor sketches, but use your imagination please.  I would REALLY like your opinions on which one you think I should do for my tank.  Take a look!

or

Let me know you guys!

It's Finally Here!

   Yeah, yeah I'm in my pajamas.  Don't judge me.  Lol!  This OBVIOUSLY isn't finished.  Not even close. 
Still to come:
CO2 Defuser
Background
More Gravel
Fresh Water Plants
Drift Wood
A new thermometer (We screwed up the one we had...)
And of course Fish (you people are going to kill me when you see them)

We got it set up last night.  I'll try to briefly try to describe the steps we took...

First of all this was not the first place we put the tank.  It was originally placed on top of my roll top desk.  It was way too high for me to be able to take care of it, so we moved it on the TV stand. 

We installed the filter.
We cleaned the inside of the aquarium and the gravel with water only. 
We inserted the gravel, then began adding water. 
When the water was about halfway up we installed the heater.
We filled the tank up the rest of the way, and turned the filter and heater on. 
We then added two and a half boxes (which was the correct amount) of a cycle starter. 

As most of you aquarium owners probably know, you have to cycle your tank before you add your fish.  This is a process that developes ammonia eating bacteria in your filter media.  If you do not have this bacteria the ammonia put off by the waste from the fish can be deadly.  The cycling process can take up to 4 weeks.  The boxes we added are SUPPOSED to help speed this up.  We shall see. 

Our PH last night was 'Acidic', and our ammonia level was 'stressed'. 

This morning the PH was at an 'acceptable' level, and the ammonia level was 'dangerous'.  This is good on both points.  The ammonia level in the water has peaked, which will actually speed up the development of the good bacteria.  When the ammonia level finally reads 0, we can begin adding other fish. 

On another note I have added my Betta to the tank.  He will help to keep the ammonia levels low, but stil feed the bacteria when they start to grow.  Bettas are extremely tough fish, so don't worry.  He's okay in there.  Not to mention the fact that we tested his water in his tank and it also read 'dangerous'.  This has made me seriously consider buying him a tank with a filter.  I hate for him to be in that small tank with the levels constantly like that.  Anyway, he is currently enjoying the big tank, and seems to be hanging around the heater.  Poor little guy.  :( 

There's my little buddy!  He still doesn't have a name people, and I haven't gotten any suggestions yet. 

So let's see... My time line.

5/17 set up tank
5/18 ammonia peak, and added betta

I'll update that as we go. 

That's about it for now! Please comment if you have any questions.  Thanks for reading!



Species Reconsideration

Okay, I know in my first post I stated that I KNEW I wanted Guppies as my main species.  After my trip to Mocha Pet in New Boston, Ohio, and observing the way the Guppies behave I may change my mind.  The Guppies were just scattered throughout the tank, and they didn't seem to swim with any sort of purpose.  It basically looked like a tank with a bunch of fish that had no reason for what they were doing.  It gave me the general impression of an unorganized and messy tank. 

I don't want that in my tank.  One of my goals for the tank is to provide a comforting and relaxing scene.  I just don't think the Guppies will cut it. 

Another thing is that the Guppies are sooo small.  As you know I'll soon be purchasing a 55 gallon tank which has a lot of space.  I'm thinking I need something more substantial, but wouldn't be a threat to a few different types of fish. 

After doing some research I think I may have settled on a species. 

Meet the Discus fish!  Beautiful isn't it?  A school of 5 or 6 of these would do nicely in my tank.  They come in many different varieties, and are considered to be one of the most lovable species of fish out there.  Apparently they will actually eat out of your hands.  These fish are also schooling fish, like the Guppies, but the difference is that these fish actually swim together in groups.  They also form a pecking order, and have been described as graceful and deliberate.  Sounds perfect to me!

Now for the issues....

These are sensitive fish, so there would be more to keeping them alive.
I don't remember seeing any of these in any of the pet stores I've visited. (Although I wasn't really looking for them.)
And I have no idea what these would price for. 

I could of course buy them online and have them shipped, but I like to see what I'm buying in person before I bring it home.  I wonder if I could order some through a pet store.... Now that's a thought. 

Anyway, that's what's on my mind today. 
 

Confirmation

I have confirmed that we WILL be purchasing a 55 gallon tank!  I couldn't be happier.  It is just the perfect size.  Now I don't know if I'll be getting the one I was talking about earlier, the one I had a lead on, or if I'll be getting the one at Walmart.  Thursday is the big day! 

  I've also found out that I can buy only male Guppies so that they don't breed.  I'm not sure if it would be more fun to raise the babies though.  Any thoughts on that?

Small Beginnings

Welcome to my new blog!

I've never actually kept up with a blog before. and I've had a few.  Haha, maybe this will be a first.

I've decided to start this blog, because I'm about to undertake a project that I'm very excited about.  I'm getting a new fish tank!  Yes, people who know me know that I've had fish tanks before, and that I even have a small one now.  The difference this time will be the effort I put into it, the size of it, and my general knowledge about it.

Here is what I know so far:
1. I want a tank that is 20 gallons or larger.
2. The tank will be fresh water, tropical.
3. I will be using sand as my substrate.
4. I will use live plants.
5. Fancy Guppies will be my main species.
6. I will be using ghost shrimp, and cory catfish as my waste eaters.

That's about it... Lol!

I have a lead on a 55 gallon tank for only $40!  I am currently waiting on a friend to get back to me with more info.  I've got my fingers crossed though.  I really couldn't hope for a better deal than that.  I just hope that the tank is in good condition and with a lid.

With a tank that large I might try my Betta in with the others.  I know, I know probably not a good idea, but don't worry.  If something didn't work out I'd put the Betta back in his own tank.  I'd really love to be able to use his tank as a fry (baby guppies) tank.  I may end up just getting a trap tank though.

I'll leave it at that for now.  I look forward to learning with you!

Above is my Betta tank.  Anyone have any name ideas???